Oriental rat flea

The Oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis) is a flea that commonly parasitizes rats and can transmit the plague bacterium to humans.

Yersinia pestis: A bacterium that causes plague in humans and other mammals. This is the pathogen the flea can carry and transmit during feeding.
Plague surveillance: The monitoring of plague in animal populations, fleas, and human cases. Testing fleas can reveal plague activity in rodent populations.
Black Death: The devastating plague pandemic that struck Europe, Asia, and North Africa in the fourteenth century. The Oriental rat flea is often discussed in explanations of plague transmission during this pandemic.
Rat flea: A common name for fleas associated with rats, especially species in the genus Nosopsyllus. It is easily confused with the Oriental rat flea despite belonging to a different genus.
Flea-borne transmission: The spread of pathogens by fleas moving between hosts. The Oriental rat flea is a prominent example of this transmission route.
Rodent control: Methods used to reduce rodent populations or limit their contact with people. Reducing hosts can help, but flea control must be coordinated to avoid dispersing hungry fleas.
Third plague pandemic: A plague pandemic that began in China in the nineteenth century and spread globally. Its spread helped establish the modern understanding of plague’s rodent and flea transmission.
Cat flea: Ctenocephalides felis, a widespread flea that infests cats, dogs, and other mammals. It commonly bites humans but is not the classic rat-associated plague vector.
Proventricular blockage: Obstruction of a flea’s foregut by a mass of blood and bacteria. Infected fleas may regurgitate bacteria while attempting to feed through the blockage.
Insecticide: A chemical or biological agent used to kill or deter insects. Insecticides may be used to kill fleas during plague-control operations.

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